The X-files - The TV Series

Author: PhileyX

E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com

Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx

Rating: PG - just naughty, naughty words

Category: UST

Spoilers: Season One to Seven - no particular episode

Disclaimer: So I borrowed a few characters from the X-files. It's not like I'm getting paid to write this. Let me be and move on already!

Intro: I believe many authors have tried this storyline before, using Charles Scully to make Mulder jealous. The reason why I, unoriginally went with the same idea was because I just couldn't see Scully on a real date with any other man. And the fact that Charlie's character was never developed in the series itself gave me the power to create a persona that I liked (and hopefully everyone would like too) To me, Charlie's a cheeky little brother that truly cares for his big sister and wants her to be happy (and like Mulder, he absolutely can't stand his elder brother, Bill). Like us Shippers, he is close enough to see the obvious attraction between them and is intrigued by the same questions we ask. Like, what the hell is taking them so long to get together? Why had they been allowed to live for so long? Why do they never question the other when one shows jealousy? And why wasn't Mulder the least bit bothered or surprised when she told him about Daniel in 'All Things'?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The X-Files - The TV Series

Byers greeted Mulder with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Mulder!" The former was seated with his other pals in a strategic corner of the establishment. The booth was well-placed away from the other tables, but it provided a good view of the rest of the restaurant. Langly and Frohike were too busy harassing the waitress to notice his arrival.

Mulder briefly looked around the café and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You guys are cheap. Would it kill you to bring me someplace expensive once in a while?" He slid in next to Langly, announcing his presence. Langly turned to Mulder. "Hey Mulder, Happy Wail-day! I hope you're up for some pan-cakes."

Mulder rolled his eyes. He then frowned at the little man across the table who was still trying to get the waitress's phone number. "Hey Frohike, lay off."

Frohike surprisingly obeyed and the damsel in distress gave Mulder a grateful smile before hurrying off.

Pleased with himself, Mulder grinned cheekily. "So, what did you guys get me? If it's not blonde and six feet one, I'll be bitterly disappointed."

"Really? We thought you'd be contented with five feet two, red hair and blue eyes." Langly drawled.

Mulder sighed in irritation. "I already got my present from her. We had lunch this afternoon. But she had a date tonight." He unscrewed the salt shaker and was pouring its contents onto the table.

Frohike frowned. "Like a real date?"

"Nah, Scully doesn't date. Probably out with her mom."

Byers, Frohike and Langly shared a look. Mulder looked up a little too late and missed it. "So like I asked before, what did you get me?"

"As much as we hate to disappoint you Mulder, we got you the enigmatic Agent Scully." Frohike answered him.

Mulder ignored him and looked at Langly and Byers. "Look guys, I'm missing a really important game for this so it better be good."

"Like Frohike just said, Mulder." Langly persisted.

Byers added. "Yeah, look behind you."

Mulder turned and almost choked. She **was** five feet two with red hair and blue eyes. His partner was sitting two tables away with another man!

"So much for the Scully-doesn't-date-theory." Langly snorted.

Mulder somehow managed to pull away his gaze and stared at the pile of salt in front of him. "You call that a present?" He growled as possible names started randomly popping in his head to fit the stranger's profile. Nothing fit. 'Who was the man with Scully?'

The Lone Gunmen smiled at each other. It was originally Frohike's idea to play a little joke on Mulder. To his surprise, Byers and Langly were all for it. They silently waited until Mulder jumped for the bait. It didn't take long.

"So who is this guy anyway?" Mulder asked, knowing fully that the trio would have done their homework.

"Marines. One of the best actually." Byers contributed.

'Great. Scully always did have a thing for sea-men.' Mulder started drawing circles in the salt with his index finger.

Langly's turn. "They've known each other for a long time now. Meet up every time his ship docks. This is his first time here. They usually meet elsewhere."

Mulder was now furiously flicking salt off the table. If Scully was indeed seeing someone, she could at least have mentioned it to him. After all, they were friends. He would have handled it quite gracefully. Although barely.

"And you know what they say about men at sea. Being away from land so long, naturally they tend to last longer. Practice makes perfect, if you know what I mean." Frohike generously added.

Mulder looked up and scowled at him.

Frohike shrank back. "Not that I'm questioning your performance."

"What's his name?" Mulder asked.

Frohike pointed behind him. "Oh-oh, we're starting to get some action here. He's holding her hand."

He immediately looked back. The man not only held Scully's hand but also leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. He then whispered something to her, at which she smiled back and nodded her head. Getting up from the table, Scully's date proceeded to the Gents. Alone, Scully glanced about the room.

"Look out!" Langly warned and Mulder slid himself lower in the seat. The other three ducked slightly, their shorter statues being an advantage. Mulder whispered. "Did she see us?"

"I doubt it." Byers whispered back.

Langly frowned. "Why are you guys whispering? She can't hear us from that distance."

Mulder felt himself sliding lower and lower down the slippery leather seat. He used his left foot to prop himself against the leg of the table so that he wouldn't slip further. The position was very uncomfortable for his long limbs.

"What's his name?" Mulder asked.

Byers ignored him. "You know, I have a cousin in the Marines. The good-looking ones are mostly gay."

Langly grinned. "Wonderful, now Scully's seeing a bisexual."

"What's his name?" Mulder asked again.

"Do you know any bisexuals? I haven't met any, have you?" Frohike asked no one in particular.

Byers asked. "Would you consider this guy good-looking?"

"Yeah he's definitely one good-looking bisexual." Langly answered him.

"Will you just tell me his name?" Mulder growled in frustration.

Langly took a peek. "He's back."

"Why won't you tell me his name?" Mulder hissed at them.

"Hot Damn! They're making out on the table!"

"What!" Mulder automatically kicked against the table leg in an attempt to sit up. But he lost his footing and his whole body began slipping off the seat. Before he could panic, his chin stopped his descent to the floor with loud thud on the table. Mulder immediately uttered a colourful expletive.

"Gees Mulder, relax. I was just kidding." Frohike grinned but immediately backed away when Mulder reached out for his collar.

Dana heard a muffled shriek. She turned towards it but only managed to catch a few heads duck behind the booth at the far corner of the restaurant. She shook her head. This was getting creepy. She could have sworn it sounded like Frohike when she kicked his butt for bringing her to Las Vegas for the geek convention.

Shrugging, she turned back to her brother who was narrating an interesting tale about one of his children. It was nice to hear about her nieces and nephews. It was too bad that she hardly got to spend time with them. She sighed unintentionally.

Charlie caught it and frowned. "Sorry, I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"No, not at all. Please Charlie, go on."

"No I think I'll stop here. It's about time you filled me in on with what's going on in your life."

"Same 'ol, same 'ol."

"Are you and Mulder …..?" He drifted off.

"No."

Charlie raised his eyebrow. "But Bill said ……"

"Bill's an idiot." She fell silent, not knowing what to say. She had always been closer to Charlie. In fact, her little brother knew more about her life than any other member of her family. Even Missy was left out on certain details. "Mulder kissed me." She told him quietly.

He whistled softly. "Finally, after seven years! Might be a world record in the longest lasting sexual tension in history!"

"Charlie!"

He smiled. "And?"

"And nothing. We just went back to work on Monday and went on like we usually do."

"Did mom mention anything about your brain being deprived of oxygen somewhere around the time of your birth?"

Dana glared at him.

He ignored her. "He's a jock so the basketball probably hit his head one time too many."

Dana sighed. "Before you get carried away, it was just a New Year's kiss."

Charlie shook his head slightly, knowing there was more than meets the eye. "You must have a reason for bringing it up."

Dana looked down, her brain furiously trying to piece her thoughts so that it made sense. "He smiled after the kiss. I smiled back. And there we were, looking into each other's eyes and then he said, "The world didn't end"."

She hesitated. "And I panicked. I totally freaked out. I knew if I looked at him a second longer, I would have ……" She stopped and glanced at her brother. He was waiting for her to continue. "So I looked away when I answered him. That broke the spell between us."

"And now you regret it."

"No, surprisingly I don't. I just wonder ….. You know, what if?"

Charlie sighed. "You do realize this guy has out-stripped Daniel and even Jack? I thought no one would."

Dana smiled. "Yeah well, looks like we underestimated him."

"More like I underestimated you." Dana cocked her head slightly so he continued. "Dana, Mulder is like a Norman Bates with an attitude. It's just beyond me how you even started trusting him."

Dana grinned. "I'll tell you his secret, he profiled me."

"He what?"

"He profiled me. That's his talent. He took a look at my file, one look at me and he profiled me."

Her brother shook his head, still lost. She started to explain. "For starters, I was the youngest girl. A daddy's little girl thus I have a tendency to have a love-hate relationship with an authoritative figure. Probably even heard about my affair with Jack. And the fact that I gave up medicine to join the FBI… a shrink's classic case of rebelling against every parent's dream of having a doctor in the family. So he started pushing my buttons the moment I stepped into the department. He challenged me, mocked me, ordered me around; knowing that it would be only way I would respect him.

Then there was the issue of trust. He knew I was from a navy family. Moved around a lot, didn't have many close friends. Thus, a generally cautious person. So he kept me out, waited for me to crack. And when I did, he jumped in with his own insecurities and finally giving me absolutely no choice but to stay fiercely loyal to him.

Like I said," She concluded and smiled at her brother. "He profiled me."

Charlie frowned, slightly worried that she wasn't joking. "You're serious about this profile thing, aren't you?"

"Mulder's no saint. He just knew how to reel me into his X-file world."

Charlie shook his head in disbelief. "And Bill says Mulder's paranoid."

She sighed. "Relax. I was just rambling. Often do that when I have absolutely no explanation for the way I feel."

"You do have an explanation. Problem is, when are you gonna tell him?" He challenged her.

Dana shook her head. "Probably not in this century."

"Dana, you're not getting any youn…. Oh God, I sound like Mom."

Dana laughed. "And even Bill."

"Dana, I just ate!"

"Look I can't tell him."

"Why not? Life is short enough. And for you guys, it seems that you're using up all the bonus time as well. Tick-tock, tick-tock."

Dana raised an eyebrow, thinking about her incapability to have children. "Charlie, my biological clock is already off my list of worries."

He frowned at her. "I'm not talking about having children. I'm talking about your literally, killing job. You guys have escaped death too many times. One day your guardian angel's gonna slip up."

"So you think I should tell him."

"Yes."

"I just go up to him and say, "Mulder I'm in love with you"."

"I dare you to."

"Charlie, this is not a game."

"Dana. You're a smart girl. I don't think you'd be in love with a man for seven years without knowing for a fact that there's a very high chance that he feels the same way for you too."

She looked down. He prodded her further. "If you didn't look away that New Year's night, what do you think would have happened? You knew that something would happen, that's why you panicked. And he was disappointed, wasn't he? You saw it on his face, didn't you?

She refused to answer him. There was so much more to it that she just didn't know how to put it in words.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock ….."

"Charlie, shut up!" He grinned and she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would you like to meet him? I know he would. Although, he still maintains that you do not exist and that you are the product of my imagination."

"My, he sounds delightful. No wonder Bill thinks so highly of him." He teased her, expecting her fierce loyalty to kick in any minute.

She didn't disappoint him. "Oh bite me, dog breath."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mulder, this is not a good idea." Frohike nervously looked about, as if Scully was going to suddenly pop out from behind him.

"I agree." Byers nodded. "Look Agent Scully is not going like this one bit."

"Will you guys shut up and give me a minute!"

The gunmen looked at each other, mouthing their thoughts at each other. They expected Mulder to retreat sorrowfully to a bar and drink himself silly, not follow his partner and her brother back to her place and stake it.

"Mulder, this is an invasion of privacy. You wouldn't Scully to follow you around when you're on a date, would you?"

"I don't date." He snapped back with an edgy tone, warning that he would murder the next person who said another word about the matter. So the three paranoid men held their groans.

Mulder peered hard through the car window. Scully and the man went through her front door ten minutes ago. 'What's talking him so long to leave?'

He frowned as his imagination started to give him possible answers to his question. He bit his lip in disgust and then berated himself for it. Why was it so difficult for him to accept the fact that Scully has sexual needs? After all she is a woman, in every sense of the word; so why did he expect her to live like a nun? Just because he lived like a monk? Well, sort of…… minus the porn videos.

When the lights went off in the apartment, he stopped breathing as the finality of it all sunk in. The man was staying! Obviously his imagination hadn't missed far from the truth. They're probably bonking each other like crazy on the sofa, or on the bed, or on the floor, or in the bathroom, or on her desk, or in the kitchen, or on her cute little coffee table. He then wondered if she let the Marine do her with her glasses on…. Oh God, not with her glasses on!

Suddenly, he felt claustrophobic. He just couldn't bear the thought of remaining anywhere within a ten mile radius from a sexually fulfilled Scully that had nothing to do with him. Turning on the engine of the car, he stepped on the gas and drove like a maniac towards the Gunmen's lair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You tell him." Frohike hissed at Byers.

"This wasn't my idea, Frohike."

"It wasn't mine either so don't look at me." Langly told him too.

Frohike rolled his eyes. "You guys weren't really putting up a fight when I brought it up. Now you're leaving me for dead?"

"I didn't think it'll get this bad."

"Shhh… He's waking up."

Mulder groaned as he stumbled out of the Gunmen's couch. He looked around him as the trio watched him expectantly. "What?"

Frohike tried his voice, hopefully warming himself up to tell Mulder the joke they had played on him. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy, you guys need a new couch." He glanced at his watch. "Oh God, I'm late. I suppose you don't have any coffee, do you?"

"Well…"

"Never mind." Mulder grabbed his jacket from the floor and proceeded towards the door.

Byers glared at Frohike who just shrugged, non-committingly. Byers frowned and decided to take over the task instead. "Mulder."

He turned. "What?"

"About Agent Scully…."

Mulder interrupted him. "I won't say a thing. If Scully doesn't want me to know about it, I suppose I should respect that."

Byers blinked at him in surprise. He studied the former's face but it betrayed no emotion. "There's something you should know…."

"Look Byers. The woman is my partner, nothing more. You were right last night. It was totally wrong and unprofessional of me to be there. Even if Scully sleeps with the whole shipload of navy bisexuals, it shouldn't be any of my business. I'm just being over-protective."

"Over-protective. Is that what you think it is?" Byers raised an eyebrow.

Mulder cocked his head, trying to comprehend the unspoken words within his tone of voice. But he if he understood, he ignored it. "I sometimes forget that Scully is just a woman."

"She's not just any woman, Mulder."

Mulder gave a half laugh. "Well, she proved us wrong last night, didn't she?"

For the first time in his life, Byers felt the urge to punch someone in the eye. Mulder never seen her partner in her element; when she was distressed over his safety. When he had done something so absolutely stupid and she had to swoop in like a super heroine to save the day. The rare moments when the Gunmen had the pleasure of seeing her as a woman who cared, betraying her day-to-day façade of an Ice Queen.

Suddenly Byers didn't want to tell him about the joke anymore. 'Let him figure it out.' He thought. So he remained silent and Mulder, after waiting for half a minute, turned and headed for the door again.

"You think that was a good idea?" Langly asked Byers.

Frohike bristled, feeling really bad for Agent Scully. "Oh yeah, It was an excellent idea."

And Byers nodded in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mulder strode into the office adjusting his tie. His partner looked up and studied his creased apparel. "Out all night?" She asked casually, noting that he was wearing the same clothes that he had on yesterday.

He frowned and held a nasty remark that was eagerly perched on the tip of his tougue. He had told the Gunmen that Scully's sex life was none of his business and he was determined that he should stick to his resolution.

She frowned when he didn't answer him. But she was used to his mood swings so she didn't take it to heart and concentrated on her report instead. He too soon settled in his chair and quietly went about his affairs.

The morning passed quietly enough and Scully wondered what Mulder was pissed about. His surliness usually never lasted for more than an hour. But the fact that it lasted the whole morning meant that it had something to do with her. Like a typical insecure boy, it hurt him more when a person he trusts hurt him. Was he mad that she didn't spend his birthday with him?

After a few minutes debating with herself, she decided to test the waters. "Mulder, there's someone I'd like you to meet at Carlo's this afternoon. Do you have plans for lunch?"

She could see him physically freeze and she frowned. 'This is not a good sign.'

Mulder looked at his partner for the first time since he came in this morning. 'So she's finally going to tell me about him.' She looked slightly tensed but besides that, oddly excited. As if she couldn't wait to show off her Marine to him.

He felt a little disorientated. Part of him of glad that she was opening up to him and another part of him wished she would just take dosage of sex privately, without his consent or knowledge.

Then it struck him. They had been at it for months now. If Scully waited this long to tell him, it could only mean that the relationship has gotten serious! Suddenly, he felt sick.

"Mulder? Did you hear what I said?"

He forced himself to lie. "Yeah, I'm sorry Scully. I've got plans." He knew he would have to face up to the fact eventually, but not now. He needed to get used to the idea first.

"Oh." Her face fell. "We're not really in a middle of a case or anything, I'm sure you can move it around."

"No, I can't."

"What's so important, Mulder?" She persisted.

Slightly annoyed, he snapped back. "It's personal."

She flinched slightly but turned away before he could notice it. "Okay, fine."

They went back to their work, both not really concentrating on what they were reading. Soon, Scully gave up. She picked up a file, rose to her feet and told her counterpart. "I'll be in the lab."

He grunted in reply and waited until she left the room. Then, he sighed and wondered if he was capable of handling the reality of Scully having a love life at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a dirty move, he knew but he just couldn't help himself. Lunchtime was at one but Mulder left the office early and headed for Carlo's. As he walked into the restaurant/café, he caught the handsome marine seated at the bar, chatting pleasantly with the bartender.

Mulder took a deep breath and went for the kill. He slid onto the seat next to the Scully's man and asked the barman for a beer. The he casually glanced over and smiled at his target. The smile quickly diminished as he caught sight of a wedding band on latter's left hand. Thankfully the beer came and Mulder took two long shots of it to calm himself down. The marine beside him watched him curiously. "Tough morning?"

Mulder looked at him. He smiled thinly and played along. "You have no idea."

"Work around here?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Heavens, no! I couldn't work on solid ground if my life depended on it. Love the sea too much!"

Mulder raised an eyebrow. 'Yeah, and probably the scores of women in every port, you son of a …'

"I guess I'm my father's son."

Mulder almost grimaced. 'Oh God, his father was in the navy too. No wonder Scully's floored by this man.' He took a cheap shot, reminding him his marital duties. "Must be tough on a marriage that way."

He looked surprised for a moment and studied Mulder cautiously. "Believe it or not Buddy, a woman's life doesn't necessarily need to evolve around you 24 hours a day."

Now Mulder was surprised, the words hit too close to home. But he just shrugged and told him. "Maybe you're right. All the bull about living happily ever after is grossly overrated."

"Well there are good times and bad times. You just have to know how to hang in there.

"Do you ever get tempted? You know, away from home so long?"

Charlie Scully studied the man beside him again. The lazy drawl and uninterested tone nearly fooled him. But there was something about this man that seemed familiar. It was as if he had met him before. And he was asking some very personal questions, as if trying to chat him up for a reason. "Everyone gets tempted along the way. You don't have to be a marine."

Mulder smiled. 'Very smooth, oh yeah. The man is very slick indeed.' Mulder reached his hand into his jacket for his bag of seeds and offered some to him.

He cocked his head slightly and accepted the offer.

"See that red-head over there? She's a looker." Mulder nodded at the girl two tables away. "Personally, I go for red-heads myself."

Now Charlie was becoming more suspicious by the moment. He glanced at his watch; it was still fifteen minutes until Dana was to arrive. 'So it made sense, but why…?' He bit his lip and decided to play his game. After all, if he was wrong, it's not like he'll ever see him again. Maybe the man beside him was just a loser trying to justify his extramarital affairs.

"Red-heads are passionate all right. Really good in bed too."

Mulder stiffened. "Speaking from experience?"

"Lots and lots of experience lately." The marine boasted and grinned proudly.

Mulder curled his fist but maintained his composure. "I'm sure your wife wouldn't be too happy knowing you're having so much fun."

"What you don't know won't hurt you."

Mulder seethed in anger. The man had absolutely no conscience. 'And what the hell was Scully thinking?' He controlled his voice as he asked him. "Does the read-head know?"

"That she's good?"

"No! That you're married?" This time his emotions got the better of him and the marine shrank back a little at his raised tone.

"Well, I keep my ring on." He frowned and asked. "Say, are you all right? You look a little pale…."

Mulder had heard enough. "I'm fine. Gotta go, parking time's up." He fished out a ten for his drink.

"See ya!" Charlie cheerfully replied and watched as Mulder strode off towards the door. Halfway there, he suddenly turned back and hastily headed inside and out the side door instead.

Charlie grinned. Something told him that his sister was about to walk in at any moment. Ten seconds later, she did. When Scully took a seat beside her brother, he was struggling to keep himself from laughing. She frowned at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." And he chortled again before asking innocently. "Where's Mulder?"

"I don't know. He had some things to do." She replied pensively.

Her mood cured him from his fits of laughter. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

"Okay." He took her arm led her to a table nearby. "Say, when you asked Mulder for lunch, did you tell him he would be meeting me?"

"Yeah." She hesitated. "Well…. sort of. I told him he'd be meeting somebody."

"Ah." He grinned and thought. 'Tall, dark brown hair, intense grey eyes, works around here, the sunflower seeds, chatting me up about redheads and finally, leaving just before Dana arrived. The pieces fit perfectly. So it **was** Mulder that came in just now'.

"Why?" She asked, her eyebrow rose at his amused face.

"Nothing, forget it. Let's order."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mulder was still in a bad mood when she got back after lunch. She ignored him, still slightly hurt about what he had said earlier about his affairs being personal.

As the afternoon wore on, there was a sudden knock on the door and Charlie's head popped in and surprised them both.

"Ch…" Dana began to exclaim but was rudely interrupted as her brother dramatically made his way towards her, pulled her out of her chair and gave her a big, wet kiss on her lips.

"Ugh, Cha…" Scully began to protest.

"Dana Baby, guess what? My ship is delayed for another day so we have another night to … you know… " He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. The astounded look on his sister's face was classic. He almost burst out laughing but for her sake, he went on with the show. "I can't wait to get you out of this stuffy suit into something more comfortable…. you know… something soft, sexy, silky and maybe even lacy…."

"What are…"

"I know, I know darling. I've been a bad boy last night. Fell asleep too soon. I promise tonight we'll…." He leaned in and pretended to whisper something seductive into her ear but really telling his sister that they should try this act outside in the FBI hallways to dispel all talk of her being a bitter, old Ice Maiden. She started to laugh.

Mulder was in shock as he witnessed the whole production. And when Scully began to giggle, he decided that he had enough. He cleared his throat loudly and got up from his seat to claim attention.

Charlie heard him and turned around in mock horror. "Oh, I didn't know we had company. You must be Agent Mulder, Dana has told me a lot about… " He suddenly stopped and squinted slightly. "You know, you look really familiar. Have I met you somewhere before?"

Mulder grimaced. In his turmoil of watching his partner in the arms of another, he had forgotten he was not supposed to have met him. He coughed and told him firmly. "You must have mistaken me for someone else." He then hastily grabbed a file from the table. "I think you might want some privacy so I'll just drop this off at the Admin Department."

Scully nearly gaped. Mulder volunteering to pop by the Admin Department? He never…

"Take your time!" Charlie gaily called after him. When he turned around, Scully was giving him a scowl.

"What?" He asked her innocently.

"What the hell was that extreme piece of theatertics for?"

"What do you mean? It was a joke, that's all."

She looked at him suspiciously. "You said you've seen him before?"

"He looked familiar. Must be from your description." He lied.

She studied her brother's face carefully as he prayed she would buy his words. "Charlie, you can't lie to me. I'm your sister. I **know** you're lying."

"You do not!"

Then, realization dawned on her. "You're trying to make Mulder jealous, aren't you?"

"Oh so you did notice that it **worked**."

She groaned. "Oh God, don't tell me you're gonna start butting into my life!"

"Hey, I didn't start it."

"What do you mean, you didn't start it?" She asked incredulously. "You waltzed in here and pretended that I had spent the whole night with you, making a porn video of our own?"

"Dana, he's jealous. Doesn't that tell you something about how he feels?"

"Charlie, if you went to all this trouble just to prove to me that he's capable of getting jealous, you wasted your time." She sighed. "I know he's capable of it. He knows I am too. It's something that we're both aware of."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is we can't do anything about it!"

I look at her in surprise. "Why not? Because you're partners? That's what stopping the both of you?"

She hesitated. "It's more than that. You don't understand."

"Try me." He insisted.

She looked away in frustration, wondering if she could find the words to explain the complexities of her relationship with Mulder. Finally, she asked him. "Have you ever seen Moonlighting?"

"Yeah, why?"

"The show was great….. until after a few seasons later, when they eventually got together, the ratings plummeted."

He waited for her continue. When she didn't, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you listening to yourself? You're comparing your life with a TV series."

She scowled at him. "In seven years, I've encountered aliens, mutants, mothmen, pushers, genies, brain-eating freaks, voo-doo dolls and government conspiracies which to my surprise has allowed us to live this long! To top it all, I have a gorgeous partner who skillfully engages me in out-of-this world, frustrating case discussions that for some unexplainable reason turns me on and **yet**, I haven't slept with him yet! Charlie, my whole life is a fucking TV series!"

He struggled to maintain his serious composure. "All right, all right, calm down." Slowly he pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm hug. "I'm sorry, I thought I was helping."

"You can't." She gently moved out from his arms, leaned against the desk behind her and looked towards the door. "No one can."

"How long do you think you can keep this up?"

She smiled sadly. "As long as there's always a new season."

"You know while a women gets more sexually creative as they get older, men just lose it. I think retirement is way too long to wait."

She raised an eyebrow. "If it was just sex, things would simpler between us. But it's not, there's a lot more. My abduction, his father's death, Missy's murder, his mother's suicide, Emily, Samantha, my roller coaster faith, his renewed beliefs, Diana, Daniel, his insecurities, my insecurities….." She trailed off and bit her lip. "It's weird. We're so different and yet so alike."

As he watched her wonder off into her own world, he suddenly understood why Bill hated Fox Mulder so much. The man was the beginning to the lost of Dana's innocence. But their big brother was wrong to blame it all on him. After all, Dana had always been attracted to dangerous men. And she made her choices with her eyes wide open. The only difference this time was that this loser truly loved her back. Charlie woke her up from her reverie. "Do you want me to explain it to him that it was all a joke?"

She shook her head. "God, no! When I'm jealous, the last thing I'd like to know is that **he** knows."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Your consideration of his feelings is absolutely admirable."

She frowned at his scarsam. "Oh shut up."

"Is that my cue to leave?"

"Do you have plans for dinner?"

"Why? Are we having another go at making him jealous? Admit it, you like the feeling, don't you?"

"No, you idiot. I'm planning to clear everything up once I rescue him from the clutches of the horny ladies in the Admin Department." He raised an eyebrow to which she sheepishly admitted. "Too territorial?"

"A little." He nodded in mock horror. "Scully women never bitch. They might be witches, **but** they never bitch."

She glared at him and he quickly turned to leave. "Oh do me a favour, could you mention to Mulder that my wife's a red-head?"

She frowned. "Why?"

He shrugged. "It's a guy thing."

She shook her head as she watched him leave, bewildered but not really bothering to even try to figure out a 'guy thing'. Picking up the receiver, she dialed Amy's extension and tapped her finger impatiently, waiting for her to pick up.

"Amy Celles, FBI Admininistration Department. How can I help you?"

"Amy, it's Dana."

Amy Celles glanced at Agent Mulder and Sarah a few feet away from her. "Dana, did Mulder and you have a fight?"

Scully raised an eyebrow. 'Now how on earth did she know that?' Instead, she asked. "Why do you ask?"

"Because firstly, he's actually voluntarily here without Skinner's orders and secondly, he's actually patronizing Sarah's lame come-ons.

Scully frowned. "He was just supposed to hand in an expense report. What's taking so long?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Well, you know how rarely we get a visit from the sexy Foxy, you think the girls are going to let him go that easily. If I weren't happily married, I'd have a go too. Tell me something Dana, how **do** you let him out of your bed every morning? I mean, he's so yummy."

"Amy…." Scully began to warn.

"I know, I know, you're not sleeping together. All the sexual tension I see between you two are all just a figment of my imagination, right?"

"And the result of one too many Paperback Novels." She added.

Amy rolled her eyes and informed Scully on the latest development. "Well, Cindy is trying to chat him up now."

"Who's Cindy?"

"She's new, came in after Clare left. You remember Clare, don't you?"

Dana bit her lip. "She's the one that used to stalk the corridor every Monday morning to bump into Mulder, as we made our way to Skinner's weekly briefing?"

"The very same." Amy sighed dramatically. "Poor girl. Died of a broken heart because of the neglect from Mulder and cold glares from you."

"Amy…" She warned again.

"She got married two weeks ago to a Texas rancher."

Scully rolled her eyes and cut to the chase. "Can you get him out of there?"

"Are you crazy? And have all the girls in my department conspire my death."

"Well it's either them or me. Your choice."

Amy cocked her head in surprise. "Way to go, Dana. Fight for your man!"

"He's not my man. He's my partner and I need his ass back here as soon as possible for a good reason. Please, can you get him out of there?"

The former sighed. "All right. But if I die a miserable death, you have to promise to look into it, no stones unturned."

"Thank you. I owe you one."

"Just let me in on your story with Mulder and I'd say we're even."

Scully had to laugh. "You never give up, do you?"

"Whoops, gotta go Dana. Liz is prepping up for the hunt and she's Miss April, 1996. No matter how much Mulder has the hots for you; like all men, his brains are still in his pants. Bye!"

The line went dead. As she replaced the receiver, she wondered. 'We have a Miss April 1996 in our FBI department and Mulder didn't know about it?' He loved irritating her with inane information and he would have told her if he did. His sources must be slipping.

'Talking about his sources, Mulder would have called the Gunmen by now to check up on Charlie's identity. Maybe if they cleared things up, I wouldn't have to.' She began dialing the Gunmen's number.

"Hello."

"Byers? It's Scully. Has Mulder contacted you lately?"

She heard the hesitation in his voice. "Well we did go out for dinner yesterday. You know, to celebrate his birthday? Hang on. I'm putting you on speaker phone." Byers told her.

"Agent Scully, what's up?" Frohike voice cheerfully greeted her in the background, followed by a grunt, which she presumed was from Langly.

"Nothing really. Did Mulder ask you to run a background check on anyone?"

"No." The three of them chorused together.

Surprised that he hadn't and suspicious of the collective eagerness in their voices, a thought struck her. "Where did you go for dinner last night?"

"By the habour." Langly answered.

She raised an eyebrow. That's where she was with Charlie, in a restaurant not far from his docked ship.

Frohike elaborated. "Yeah, a real crappy place, full of sailors and their chicks for the night, if you know what I mean."

'It's all beginning to make sense.' She thought and asked them innocently. "Did you see anyone familiar?"

This time Byers answered her cautiously. "Maybe, but it was dark so we could be mistaken."

Scully nodded, rolling her eyes. So the boys brought Mulder out and had some fun with him. She cut the crap. "Why didn't you tell him that he's my brother?"

She heard them groan before Langly explained. "Mulder told us that it's your life and that we should respect it."

She wasn't convinced. "Guys…"

Byers relented, knowing that the she was on to them. "We were just fooling around. Would you like us to tell him now?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Are you sure?" Frohike asked her. "I would think you'd be enjoying the attention."

Scully sighed. "You know how Mulder reacts to situations such as these …." She trailed off.

"He becomes an asshole." Frohike finished the sentence for her.

Dana grimaced slightly at the truth of it but loyalty kept her from openly agreeing with him. She thanked them instead.

"No problem, Scully. We'll send a fax on your brother in a few minutes."

"Oh one more thing, could you add in the fact that my brother's wife is a red-head?"

"Why?" Langly asked.

"You tell me. It's supposedly a guy thing." She heard the doorknob rattle. "I gotta go, guys."

Scully had just hung up when Mulder walked into the office. He nodded stiffly at her and looked around as if checking if Charlie was still in the office.

"He's gone." She told him quietly.

Mulder nodded and absently began flipping through the files on his table, searching for another reason to disappear from the office for a few hours. Scully frowned at his silence but resolved not to say anything until the Gunmen's fax came through.

Her partner obviously had other ideas. "Clare's married." He suddenly told her.

She casually replied. "Good for her."

"A divorced rancher. Met him a few months ago in a horse show. Rumours say she broke up the first marriage."

'Where was he going with this?' She wondered. "Really?"

"Yeah. There's nothing worse than coming between a married couple."

Dana almost laughed. "Mulder, this coming from you? I never knew you were a believer in marriage?"

"Aren't you?" He looked at her. "You're a Catholic, born and raised. Don't you believe that marriage is a sacred sacrament that should be respected and revered?"

She looked at him, surprised at the mocking tone in his voice. He took a step closer. "Where's this faith of yours, Scully? Where are you beliefs? What God has joined, man shall not divide, isn't that from your bible?"

She blinked as her conscience began to open a chapter of her past that she would never forgive herself for. 'But how did he know?' She never told him about it.

As he looked steadily at her and as her anger rose, she coolly asked him. "Just what are you trying to say, Mulder?"

"Nothing. I just asked you a simple question. Do you believe in the sanctity of marriage?"

Knowing that his question was not really a 'simple' one as he claimed, she suddenly realized that he was talking about Charlie. Mulder must have seen her brother's wedding ring on his finger.

But instead of feeling better, Scully couldn't help but think of Daniel. No matter how faintly flattering it felt to have Mulder see her as an infallible angel, she was disappointed that he would judge and condemn her without first hearing her side of the story.

Composing herself the best she could, she told him. "I'm not a saint, Mulder. I've made a number of stupid mistakes in my life. But I made sure I never make them again. And yes, I do believe in the sanctity of a marriage. One of the reasons why I never regretted leaving medicine."

It was now his turn to blink at her in surprise. 'What was she talking about?' Before he could ask her, she turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Mulder stared after her, stupefied. 'What the hell is going on? What has the marine got to do with her leaving medicine?'

The sudden, shrill ring of the fax machine made him jump. He glared at it but it soon turned into a frown as Scully's handsome marine slowly flowed out onto the paper tray. At the bottom of the picture, Frohike's scrawl was unmistakable:

<<HAD YOU BIG TIME, G-MAN!>>

He watched in horror as page two revealed the identity of the Scully's alleged lover - Lieutenant Charles Benjamin Scully! And again Frohike's handwriting at the bottom:

<<PS- JULIETTE SCULLY (THE WIFE) IS A REDHEAD>>

Mulder groaned. 'It was her brother! And the red-head that he was talking about was his own wife! Of course, how could he have thought that Scully would have an affair with a married man?' Then he froze as he remembered what she had said about making mistakes and leaving medicine.

As he slowly pieced her words together in his mind, it dawned on him that somehow he had unintentionally dragged out one of her skeletons of her past. He sat down slowly, letting this alternate side of Scully sink in. She amazed him. Even after seven years, there was still so much about her that he didn't know.

He thought about what he told Byers this morning. He was partially right, Scully was just an ordinary woman. What he missed out was that this ordinary woman was the one woman that he couldn't live without. And that fact was precisely what made Dana Katherine Scully so extraordinary.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When she reentered the office late that evening, she had expected to find Mulder fully enlightened on who her mystery man was. Her anger at him had subsided. In fact, she felt more sorry for him than anything else, knowing that he must feel like a total jerk for everything he had put her through that day.

She also felt relieved. With her unexpected revelation on her affair with Daniel, it provided them a convenient distraction from dealing with Charlie's Romeo performance earlier in the day.

Mulder had been rehearsing what he would say to her for two hours now. But the moment she stepped into the room, the words flew from his mind and he struggled hard to remember them. She waited patiently.

Finally he told her softly. "I've always wondered why you gave up a brilliant career in medicine for a lousy badge and gun."

Scully shifted slightly, a little disconcerted. She still wasn't ready to share this part of her life with him. At least, not at this moment. So she tried to brush off the topic. "There were other reasons too. You forget, there's my spoilt little brat syndrome, knowing that the decision would provoke my father."

He nodded, taking the hint. "Of course. Then there's also the attractive FBI health care, free gym facilities, year-end bonuses…." He trailed off.

She smiled. "Mulder, don't push it."

He smiled and gazed at her intently, conveying his unspoken apology. She caught it and offered a slight nod as a sign that she accepted. She then took a step closer. "How about dinner tonight? I'd like you to meet my brother, the clown from this afternoon."

"Oh so he's your brother, huh?" He innocently stated and shrugged. "Sure. I've got nowhere to go."

She remained composed at his put-on flippancy. "Great. Shall we?"

He nodded, rose from his seat and grabbed his coat. As he followed her out the door, she touched his arm softly, as if telling him that everything was okay. He started and she let go quickly, recognizing that he was still a little unsettled with their making up. Mulder loved to dwell in his self-mortification longer than he should.

They walked together quietly for a few minutes before he asked her. "Scully, will I like Charlie?"

"I don't know." She honestly told him.

"Is he anything like Bill?"

She nearly laughed. "If you put it that way, you'll love Charlie."

He grinned. They stood in front of the elevator and waited for it to arrive. Both silent. When it came, he reached his arm out around her and gently guided her into the elevator with the small of her back.

She smiled. He had finally made peace with himself. 'Now, everything is just as it should be.' She thought. 'Back to another mundane episode of the X-files.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The End The X-Files - TheTV Series 

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